Top-support.



G. R. WADSWORTH.

TOP SUPPORT.

APPLICATION rum) NOV. 8, 1911.

1,071,485. Patented Aug. 26, 1913.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. IarEORGE R. WADSWORTH, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE IliEQERLESS MOTOR GAR COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, O HIO, CORPORATION OF OHIO.

TOP-SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 26,1913.

Application filed November 8, 1911. Serial No. 659,101.

- To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE R. WAns- WORTH, a citizen of the United States, resid-- universal practice to prevent rearward swinging and side swaying of the top by 'means of long straps which are attached to the front end of the top and extend downwardly and forwardly to the forward portion of the frame alongside, the hood. These straps are not only unsightly, but are very undesirable for the reason also that they obstruct somewhat the view of the driver and are very troublesome and in the way when access is to be had to the engine or other parts normally inclosed by the hood. l

The main object of the invention is to do away with these long unsightly and otherwise objectionable straps and to hold the top against movement in a more efficient manner.

I attain the above object in a very satisfactory manner by using the structure of the wind shield instead of the frame of the car, as the anchorage for the top holding straps. By utilizing a well constructed wind shield especially designed to resist side stresses, the top can beheld against rearward or side movement by means of two short attached to the top and to the windv shield structure at or ad acent the pivotal axis ofthe hinged or folding top of the shield, these straps extending from the sides of the top near the front-end downward and inwardly to their points of attachment with the wind shield structure. These short straps have none of the objections of the long straps previously employed, and being shorter, they hold the-top against movement more effectively.

My invention may be further briefly summarized as consisting 1n certain novel details of construction and combinations and ar'- rangements of parts which will be described straps in the specification-and set forth in the appended claim.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side viewof a portion of a car equipped with my invention in its preferred form, and Fig. 2 is a sectional view substantially along the line 22 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrow.

In the drawings, 10 represents as a whole the body of the car which as here shown is of the; touring car type, only a portion of the body being here shown. The car is equipped with a top 11 which-is of the type usually provided for touring cars and which is therefore designed to be folded back'onto the rear of the car when not in use, or to be supported in an upright position over the body as shown in the drawings. It will be understood that the top is supported in upright position by the usual bows including two sets which are attached to the sides of the body near the rear, and two forward sets of bows which are also attached to the sides of the body, but at a suitable distance for wardly of the rear sets of bows. In the drawings,'I have illustrated merely one of the forward sets or ignated 12-and 12. I have notillustrated the rear portion of the top' and the rear sets of bows for the reason that in carrying out my invention, I. employ the usual top construction, the form, arrangement of bows, and manner of supporting-which are very well known.

The wind shield or shield structure 13 includes the fixed upright lower section 13 is designed to be raised to upright position under or within the top, as shown by full lines in F i' 1, or to be folded downwardly andinwar 1y to the position shown by dotted lines in the same figure, each of these sections including a frame and the glass held therein. The wind shield structure also includes a pair of braces 13 which in the present case are attached to the Wind shield near the pivotal axis ofthe upper section, and at their lower ends are rigidly secured to the body front at the rear of the wind shield proper and just forward of the front doors of the body. Ordinarily the wind shield braces extend downwardly and forwardly along opposite sides to the hood and are attached-at their lower ends to the pairs of bows, here des- I of the forwardly extending braces, and in addition serve as handles or hand holds to assist the occupants of the car in entering 1 or leaving the front seat.

Inasmuch as the wind shield in the present case forms the anchorage for the top holding straps to be referred to presently, the lower section of the shield and the shield braces are very rigidly and firmly supported on the body and also very firmly united to each other, and in order that the shield may withstand without injury the side pull or stresses caused by the top straps,the side frame members of the lower section 13 are preferably fastened together, by a strong metal strip 13 extending from one side of the shield to the otheralong the top edge .of the glass which forms a part of the lower wind shield section 13.

To prevent the backward swinging. and side swaying of the top, I utilize instead of the usual long forwardly and downwardly extending straps, short straps 14 which are connected to loops of clips 14 attached to the top near the front and which extend from these clips downwardly and inwardly to the wind shield structure to which the .lower ends of the straps are connected.

upper ends of the braces 13 are provided I with loops 1a" to which the straps are connected.

It will be readily apparent that these' in a much more effective manner than is.

possible with long straps, particularly as regards the prevention of the side swaying, in which respect I find my improvement is far superior to the prior arrangements, while at the same time, it is just as efiective as the latter in the prevention of backward movement of the topl Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

In combination in a motor vehicle, a body, a wind shield structure including a rigidly supported section extending upwardly from the body, a movable section pivoted to the upper portion of the rigid section and braces attached to the upper portion of the rigid section, a top of the type which may be folded together at the rear of the body or extended over the body and supported by sets of bows attached to the body at points along the sidesthereof, said top when extended projecting forwardly over and beyond the wind shield, and means for holding the top when extended against rearward swinging and side swaying movements comprising straps located at the rear of the plane of the wind shield, said straps being at their lower ends attached to the wind shield structure near the junction of said rigid section and braces, and extending diagonally upward and outward, and at their upper ends being attached to the sides of the top rearwardly of the front end thereof.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE R. WADSWORTH.

l/Vitnesses H. R. SULLIVAN, A. F. Kwis. 

